Grace is not tied down to one People, nor to one particular Place, but that all Men may fhare in it; and that the Worship which God chiefly expects, is the Worship of the Heart, and that He will be ferved in Spirit and Truth. Thirdly, The Example of this Samaritan Woman, who believed in Jefus Chrift, and brought the Inhabitants of her Town to the Knowledge of Him, ought to engage us to receive the Gospel with Readinefs and 'with Faith, when it is preach'd to us, and to bring our Neighbours to Faith and Repentance both by our Inftructions and good Example.

ROMANS, Chap. VI.

THE E Design of St. Paul in this Chapter, is to fhew that the Doctrine of Grace, and of Juftification by Faith, which he taught in the preceding Chapters, doth not authorize Chriftians to live in Sin, but on the contrary, it draws them powerfully from it, and obliges them to live in Righteoufnefs and in Holinefs.

WE

After the Leffon.

E exhort you Chriftians, to confider well of the Doctrine which St. Paul here teaches us; which is, that we ought not to believe, that because we live under Grace, and have been redeemed by Jefus Chrift, we are allowed to dwell in Sin. On the contrary, the Grace of God obliges us in the stricteft manner to renounce it; and that Christians, who have been baptized into Jefus Chrift, ought to be dead! to Sin, and to live a spiritual and heavenly Life; that Sin ought not to reign in our Bodies, that we fhould obey it in the Lufts thereof; and that having been redeemed by Jefus Chrift, and delivered from the Slavery of Sin, we are become the Servants of Righteoufnefs and of God; and that we ought to bring forth Fruit in Sanctification, without which, we fhall have no Communion with Jefus Chrift, but we shall abide in Condemnation and in Death...

I CORINTHIANS, Chap. III.

T. Paul treats of Four Things in this Chapter. First, He tells the Corinthians, that he propofed nothing to them but the plaineft Principles of Christianity. Secondly, To put a Stop to the Divifions

that.

that were among them, upon the Account of the Minifters of the Gofpel; he fhews that Minifters are only Inftruments in the. Hand of God. Thirdly, He adds, that the Teachers ought to take care not, to mingle with the fundamental Doctrines of Religion, fuch as are unprofitable or uncertain, which he compares to Wood and Stubble. Fourthly, He fays, that Minifters being only appointed for Edification, Chriftians ought not to boast but in God alone, and not in the Minifters who preached the Gospel to them.

THE Four Parts of this Chapter afford us Four Inftructions: The First, That the Ministers of Jefus Chrift ought to set forth the Christian Doctrine, and to adapt their Inftructions to the Capacity of those with whom they have to do. Secondly, What St. Paul fays, That he had planted, that Apollos had watered, but that God gave the Encreafe; teaches us, that the Miniftry of Paftors is very neceffary, but that the Efficacy of their Preaching is to be attributed to God alone. The Third Inftruction is, that they who preach the Gospel, fhould not mix with the effential Doctrines of Religion others that are uncertain or of little ufe, for fear their Labour fhould be loft. The Fourth, That the Church being the Temple of God, we fhould avoid all that may occafion Trouble therein; that Minifters are appointed in the Church for the Edification of the Faithful, and that the Minifters, as well as the other Chriftians, ought to aim at the Glory of God in all Things."

2 PET. Chap. III.

"HE Apostle warns, that there would be in the Church prophane Perfons, who would doubt of the Laft Coming of Jefus Chrift. He refutes them, by faying, That as the World was formerly destroyed by the Waters of the Flood, it should be one Day destroyed by Fire; and if the End of the World was flow in coming, it was because God gave Men Time to repent. After that he fhews, that the Expectation of the End of all Things, and the Hopes of being received in the World to come, obliges us to live in great Holiness.

After

After the Leffon.

THIS Chapter contains most wholfome Inftructions: The First of which is, That fince it hath been foretold that there would be in the last Times Scoffers, who would deny the Truths of Religion, we ought not to wonder if there are fuch in our Days; and that we ought to avoid thefe Scoffers and prophane Perfons, as the most dangerous and worst of Men. The Second Inftruction is, That this World must have an End, and that the Flood was an undoubted Proof thereof, which is an Event that is very certain and univerfally acknowledged fo to be. The Third, That the Reafon why God delays the End of the World, and the Day of Judgment, is, becaufe out of his great Goodness, He waits for the Repentance of Man; and this fhould induce us to take Advantage of the Forbearance and Patience of the Lord. Fourthly, We ought to obferve well the Defcription that is here made of the End of the World; how this Univerfe, that was formerly deftroyed by Water, fhall be confumed by Fire; and what will be the Majefty and the Terror of the last Appearance of the Son of God. Fifthly, Since we know that this World is to be destroyed, and that afterwards there will be New Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteoufnefs, we cannot fufficiently labour to lead a holy Life, and to do Works of Piety, to the end that that Day which will come upon us fuddenly, may not furprize us, and that the Lord may find us fpotlefs and without Reproach. Imprint upon your Hearts, My Brethren, thefe Divine Inftructions, and being warned, take Care that ye be not lead away by Sinners, but grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of the Lord Jefus Christ, to whom be Glory now and for evermore. Amen.

HEBREWS, Chap. VII.

ΤΗ HE Apostle fhews the Excellency of the Priesthood of Jefus Chrift, by fhewing that He was a Priest according to the Order of Melchifedec. He obfervcs for that purpose, that Melchifedec was a Priest after another manner than the Priefts under the Law, because he was a King, and because he was above Abraham and Levi, from whom the Jewish Priests defcended, and because the Scripture doth not relate his Genealogy, nor fhew that he had any Predeceffors, or Succellors: And lastly, becaufe God had promifed with an Oath, that the Priesthood of the Meffiah fhould endure for ever. From whence it follows, that Jefus Chrift being a

i

N

Prieft,

Prieft, as Melchifedec, He was not like the Jewish Priests; that his Sacrifice was to be but one, that He is the only High-Prieft, that He is a King as well as Melchifedec, and confequently, that the Levitical Priesthood was to be abolished. Finally, St. Paul fhews, that Jefus Chrift, by his perfect Holiness, was above all the ancient Priests.

My Brethren,

THE

After the Leffon.

HE chief Reflection that we ought to make here is, to acknowledge and admire the Infinite Wifdom of God, who had fo well declared in the ancient Oracles, what fort of Perfon the Meffiah was to be; we may alfo obferve the Evidence and the Strength with which the Apostle proves by the Law it felf, and by the Old Teftament, that the Mofaical Service and Priesthood was to be abolished... This ought powerfully to convince us of the Truth of the Gospel, and ftir us up to fearch into, and meditate upon the Writings and Oracles of the ancient Prophets, wherein we find fo good Proofs of the Divinity of the Chriftian Doctrine: And fince this whole Chapter tends to inftruct us of the Excellency and of the Perfections of the Sacrifice of our Lord, we ought to have Recourfe, with Faith and Obe-i dience, to Jefus our High Prieft, who being perfectly Holy, and lifted up above all the Heavens, can fave to the uttermoft all thofe that draw nigh to God by Him, who always lives to intercede for them.

Go

Chriftias-Eve: In the Evening.

The First Leffon, ISAIAH, Chap. LXII.

YOD promises to redeem his Church, and to put it into a glorious Condition. The Prophet declares the Coming of the Saviour of the World, and he exhorts Men to prepare themfelves for the receiving of Him.

My Brethren,

After the Leffon.

THE Truth of the Promifes made by God in this Chapter, to deliver his Church, and to put it into a glorious Condition here upon Earth, has appeared not only in the Return from the Captivity of Babylon, but chiefly in the Coming of Jefus Chrift. When we hear thefe great Promifes, we ought to blefs God that we live in the happy

Times

Times in which they have been fulfilled, and to anfwer the Happinefs that we have of being his Spoufe, his People, and the Place of his Refidence. This is what the Festival of the Birth of Jefus Chrift (which is to be celebrated to Morrow) obliges us to, and to what the Prophet exhorts us by thefe Words: Prepare the Way, make ftraight his Paths, for behold the Saviour comes, his Reward is with him, and his Work before Him.

The Second Leffon.

St. MATTHEW, Chap. I.

THE Evangelift deduces the Genealogy of Jefus Chrift from Abraham to Jofeph, the Spouse of the Virgin Mary, and relates briefly the Hiftory of the Conception and Birth of our Lord.

My Brethren,

SIN

After the Leffon.

INCE this Chapter teaches us, that our Lord is defcended from our Patriarch Abraham, and from King David, and that He is born of a Virgin, by the Power of the Holy Ghoft, as was foretold of him, let us acknowledge that Jefus Chrift is the Meffiah that was" to come into the World; and let us blefs God for having fent us, in the Fulness of Time, his Only Son to. be our Redeemer, who was made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh, and who is God above all Things, bleffed for evermore. Amen.

THE

Christmas-Day: The First Leffon.

11

HEBREWS, Chap. I.

HE Apoftle teaches us, that God made himself known to Man by the Means of Jefus Chrift, more plainly than He had done in former Times. He fhews the Excellency of the Gospel by the infinite Dignity of the Perfon of Jefus Chrift, and by fhewing us

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that